Kicked to the Curb
by MermaidMidna
Summary: Sequel to I Wish, or Life Without Derek. Contains spoilers from season 4. What happens when Casey allows Truman to drive her to college? What will Derek do when his step-sister doesn't show up to the campus? Truman finally gets what he deserves.
1. STEP Brother

_**AN: The sequel to I Wish, or Life Without Derek!!!!! HOORAH! Okay, this is told from Casey and Derek's POV, just in case you were wondering. Casey is regular font and Derek is bold. Sorry if I got anything Canadian wrong! (like the speed limit. lol) Please read and review your butts off!!!!! Please. **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Life With Derek! I do not! I do not! **_

After the incident where I tripped, and fell… and got knocked out, hallucinating about my step-brother, I realized that I needed Derek. That's right. I said I _needed _him. It was strange to think that I could go from loathing him to loving him because of one dream. But then again, I never realized what my life would be without him until I got some sense knocked into me… literally.

**After Casey fainted, I seriously thought she was going to die. And then she kept mumbling weird things in her sleep. She kept saying my name and she was crying. And then when she woke up she hugged me. Man it was a relief when she sat up. In that time where she was… asleep, I realized I couldn't live without her. I **_**needed**_** Casey McDonald. That was seriously the scariest thing that ever happened to me, seeing her lying there, not breathing.**

But then I realized I could never be with him. One: because he was my stepbrother. Our parents would never approve. They would say it would be a bad influence on Marti or Lizzie and Edwin. They would probably ship me or Derek off to some private school so we wouldn't live in the same house and have to deal with… temptations. And two: because he obviously didn't like me back. Why would Derek Venturi like me, Casey McDonald? It just didn't make any sense to think that bad-boy, skirt chasing cad Derek would go after a goody-good grade grubber like me.

**But then I realized, holy crud, that's my step-sister. If we got together, that would never fly with the rents. They would flip out. I don't know who would be worse- Nora would have a cow over her little baby liking me. And Dad- man he would send me to military school or something. And besides, it's not like Casey liked me back anyway. Why would she? Did she not say she hated my guts? Okay, so she took that back, but still, I was not for her.**

So what were my options? To sit around and stare at Derek? To know that I loved him and feel sorry for myself because we could never have anything together? That was not the way I worked. So I went for the next best thing. Actually I went _back_ to the next best thing. Truman.

**What was I supposed to do? I was crazy about her! It was hard to just sit back and watch her talk to other guys and not do anything about it. And then she got back together with that maggot, Truman. I could have puked.**

Okay, he was scum, dirt, perverted compared to Derek, but he was the next best thing. He didn't wear a letter jacket and when he smirked he didn't look remotely attractive. His eyes didn't light up like Derek's, and he didn't play hockey either, but he was a "good" as it was gonna get. He actually liked me… didn't he?

**I wanted to punch that creep in the face! What did that… thing have that I didn't? He didn't understand Casey at all. He only wanted to eat her face off, which was horrific to watch by the way. And so I had to move on the next best thing besides Casey, because I couldn't have her. So I figured I could have her best friend.**

And no matter what he did, no matter how many mistakes he made, I just kept taking him back. Because I needed a something to distract me from Derek and temporarily fill the eldest Venturi's shoes… or lips for that matter. He cheated on me with my cousin and Derek was the one to take me home and comfort me. He hurt me but it didn't matter because he knew I would come back to him, and I went with him to prom. While Derek went with Emily, which only made me kiss Truman harder.

**The thing that made me the most angry was the fact that Casey kept going back to him, no matter what he did. He cheated on her- with **_**Vicki**_**! What kind of sicko cheats on someone with their **_**cousin?**_** But she took him back, even though I was the one who helped her out when she needed it. She even went to prom with him! So I took Emily, and when I saw Truman holding the girl I wanted to be with, I kissed Emily with everything I had in me- everything I had for Casey.**

But Truman wasn't going to a university. And Derek was going to the same one as me. So Truman and I decided to break up before college. I knew I shouldn't use him any longer. Plus Derek caught him kissing Lucy after the graduation reception.

**Luckily, Truman was too stupid to go to college. And I could have Casey all to myself, considering I broke up with Emily because we weren't going to the same university. And you know what else? He made out with Lucy after graduation and I caught him. If Lucy hadn't of held me back, he'd probably be dead by now.**

He did ask to drive me to college, just so we could say goodbye and he could help me move into my dorm room, so I complied. There was no way I could drive two hours in a car with Derek and not do something rash. It was hard enough living in a room right next to him. Derek wasn't too happy about me riding with Truman, but he was probably just being an overprotective "brother."

**Oh, and get this! That snake asked Casey if he could drive her to college, and she said **_**yes**_**! And she wondered why I wasn't happy about her riding with him in a car, the two of them, **_**alone**_**! God only knows what he would do to her. But no, she insisted on going with him. I was only being protective of my girl!**

Oh gosh. Brother. The word made me sick. I had gotten up in the middle of the night to get a drink, unable to sleep, thinking about how Derek and I would go to the same college. I found Derek at the kitchen counter, sorting through college papers. And I told him he was the worst brother ever. Then he proceeded to correct me again with the STEP in front of it. And then I had to open my stupid mouth and say it was the same thing. I couldn't help myself. I needed to see him argue that it wasn't the same, for him to yell that there was no blood relation, we were NOT family! But he merely said yeah, and I was crushed. Utterly crushed that he would never feel the way I felt for him.

**And then it happened. Our "feel good family moment" that I was trying so desperately to avoid. She called me her **_**brother**_**. I corrected her, once again, reminding her to put a STEP in front of that awful word. But then she said they were the same thing. What was I supposed to say to that? Right-oh, sis! I've always loved you like a sibling! Let's hug! HAH! So I stood there, hurt, and all I could say was yeah. Because I knew she would never, ever love me as more than a brother.**

So here I was, sitting in Truman's car, my fingers drumming on the dashboard wanting to jump out the car door and just run away from all my problems. Truman was blaring his stupid music and facing forwards, that pathetic imitation of a Derek smirk forever implanted on his lips. Better than jumping out of the car, I wanted to punch him in the face. That would be kind of fun, but then our car would probably crash… And then I would never see Derek again.

Truman looked at me and smiled. "What's wrong Casey?"

"Nothing." I said rather harshly, but I didn't feel like talking to him at the moment. "Keep your eyes on the road. And you're going too fast. The speed limit is 40."

"Jeez, sorry Miss. Side-seat driver." he said, frowning and looking at the road.

"And we're almost out of gas." I said, looking at the gas gauge. "You'd better get to a gas station now." I looked out the window, realizing we were nowhere _near_ a gas station. "Where are we anyway?" I asked.

"We're taking the scenic route."

"Um, do you even know where you're going?"

"Of course I-" Truman started, and the engine died abruptly, and I stared at him in horror.

**Um, Truman was just following me in his car and now he wasn't… Where was he? Where was Casey? WHAT DID HE DO WITH HER!?**

_**TO BE CONTINUED… (soon, if not tonight, I promise)**_


	2. Master of Sarcasm

**Just Casey's POV this chapter. Sorry I didn't update yesterday! I hope I didn't make you wait too long! And sorry if Truman is a little out of character. I tend to avoid episodes with him in them, so he might be a little off. ;) Thank you to everyone who has read and, or/ reviewed so far! You guys are awesome! (PS: Truman is a stalker!)**

Truman and I managed to push the car off the road and out of harm's way. How, I had no idea. Perhaps I had gained momentum at the thought of being crushed by another car and never seeing Derek again. We were now both leaning against the car, watching for any traffic that might be able give us a ride. Too bad we were in the most deserted town in all of Canada! Could this even be considered a town? I stared at the horizon, not a car or a sign of life in sight. No, it was definitely not a town.

We had both checked our cell phones to see if we could call anyone to help, but there was absolutely no reception. What was Derek going to think when I didn't show up on campus? Oh crap. I should have gone with Derek in the first place!

So, I decided to take my frustration out on, who else, but Truman.

"Could you have picked a better time to not fill up your tank with gas?" I asked mockingly.

"Nope, it's perfect timing." Truman said, a smug smile on his face.

I glared at him, trying to analyze what exactly he was implying. "What _are_ you talking about? Nothing about this seems perfect to me!"

"Well, I figured I was never gonna see you again after today. You will go on to date other guys, and I will go on to date other girls." he said, leaning in closer to me. I inched away a few steps. "So I just thought we could have some _alone_ time before you head off to college."

"You mean you… You _planned_ this?!" I yelled, my face turning bright red, anger penetrating my emotions. Would this boy stop at _nothing_ to get with me?!

"Yeah, so um, you want to?" He asked, pointing to the car, a creepy smirk forming on his lips.

"Oh yes Truman! Because being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no gas, no ride, and an insensitive pervert totally turns me on! Let's make out right now!"

"Alright!" he said, leaning in and puckering. I jumped away.

"EW! There's a thing called sarcasm!" I yelled, holding my hands in front of my body in case Truman tried to make another move. Once again, I was tempted to punch him in the face.

"I should know, Case." I cringed at the nickname. "I am the master of all sarcasm!" _No. _I thought. _Derek is the master of all sarcasm. You are the master of all creepiness and excessive planning! How __**did**__ you manage to run out of gas in the exact area where cell phones don't work and no humans exist!?_

"Um, hello? Case?" Truman waved his hand in front of my face as I was spacing out.

"Don't _touch _me!" I shouted, running to the other side of the car. I wondered how much longer I would have to stand out here with my stalker. It had probably already been an hour. Just then I saw a car heading our way. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding as I saw it approach. Then I realized who it was- The Prince! It was Derek in The Prince!

I waved my hands in the air, smiling. Derek had come back for me! Derek pulled over, and I heard Truman groan, a scowl on his face.

Derek raced out of the car, a worried expression on his face. He rushed over to me and put his arms around me in a crushing hug. I felt faint and woozy as he held me close, totally and utterly confused. Why was Derek hugging me? Nevertheless, I quite enjoyed it and wrapped my arms around his waist, smiling to myself. He pulled back and put his arms on my shoulders.

"You okay?" he asked. "He didn't try to… do anything to you, did he?"

"He tried, but I didn't let him." I said, unable to wipe that goofy grin off my face.

Derek's eyes suddenly turned cold and angry. He turned to face Truman. "What were you thinking, driving off without me knowing where you were going? And then attempting to put the moves on her?" He asked angrily, gesturing to me on the last sentence.

"Um, I would think you would understand, Derek." said Truman. "We're exactly the same. Wouldn't you take advantage of an opportunity like this?" I stared at him in repulsion. Derek would never… Derek was _nothing_ like Truman. He was a menace, yeah, but he was a sweet jerk. He didn't kick me when I was down. He helped me.

Derek stepped forward, his face contorted in fury. I was a little scared to see him that way, to be truthful. "Not with her." he said. "Never with her." And before I knew it, Derek's fist had collided with Truman's head, and the latter was on the ground, holding his cheek in pain. Somehow I didn't really feel any remorse for him either, considering I had wanted to do the exact same thing only a few minutes earlier. "And I'm _nothing_ like you." said Derek, walking over to me and taking my arm. "Come on, Case, let's go."

I quickly popped open the trunk of Truman's car and grabbed my luggage, and threw it in The Prince's trunk, all the while ignoring moans from Truman on the ground. Derek and I got in our car and he started the ignition. Truman looked up and I could already see a bruise forming on the side of his face. Nice one, Derek, _nice. _

"Where are you going?" he asked, sitting up. "You can't just leave me here!"

I rolled down the window. "See you Truman!" I waved, and we sped away.

**AN: Don't worry! It's not over yet! And if you feel bad for Truman, don't worry about that either. Well, I don't feel bad, but that's just my personal opinion. Lol. I just don't want Casey and Derek to seem too harsh… so, well, you'll see next chapter. Please R and R! Love you guys!** **(PS: Next chapter will most likely be from Derek's POV)**

**EDIT: Thank you, Sandy, for pointing out the fact that Casey forgot her luggage. I thought I would play it cool and add that in next chapter, but what the heck... That would just be lying to myself. I can be so slow sometimes! LOL! But thanks, I fixed it!  
**


	3. Warm

**Derek's POV now! Um, sorry if I got anything wrong about college… yeah I know nothing about that. And it's mostly dialogue. Sorry about that too. The next chapter will be much better than this… Thank you, thank you, thank you to my reviewers!!!!! You guys are so incredibly nice and are what keeps me going! Here we go! **

I stared ahead, fuming, still ticked off at that _rat._ How _could_ he? How _dare _he?! My knuckles turned white clutching the steering wheel.

Casey placed a gentle hand on my arm. "It's okay, Derek. I'm okay." she said, barely audible. I relaxed a little under her grip and I glanced at her for a split second before looking back at the road. She looked nervous and pale. She _said_ Truman didn't do anything to her, but did she really mean it? She was too shaken up for anything not to happen.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "You look bad." I mentally slapped myself. _Wow, talk about a horrible choice of words._

"I'm sure I don't look as bad as Truman." Casey laughed, and I gave a little chuckle. She did have a good sense of humor despite what other people said. "I'm fine, I promise." I realized her hand was still on my arm… _Concentrate on the road Derek. _

She sighed and sat back in her chair, removing her hand. My arm suddenly went cold. "Still, I feel kind of bad for just leaving him there."

I stared at her incredulously and then turned my attention back to the road. "You're kidding, right? I mean, that creep-"

"Yeah, Derek, he tried to kiss me and he is a crazy stalker." she shuddered a little. "But he will be stuck there forever if we don't go get him."

I shrugged. "Who cares?"

She looked at me reproachfully. "Do you really want to go to jail for murder?"

"Fine." I groaned, making a u-turn in the nearest driveway. "But I do not plan on being nice."

"Neither do I." she said, crossing her arms across her chest. "Trust me."

It took us about 15 minutes to get back to Truman. He was still sitting pathetically on the ground, now holding his cell phone in the air, apparently trying to get reception. What a loser.

He grinned as we approached, until he realized who was in the car. I pulled over and stepped out. He cowered a little, which made me laugh.

"Have you come back to beat the living daylights out of me again?" he asked. "I think once was enough."

"I could punch harder if you haven't learned your lesson." I said, holding up my fist. He stepped back a little. "Or, you could shut up, get in the car, and we could drive you to the nearest gas station where you could phone for help."

"Is this a trick?"

"_No_, Truman." said a voice behind me. Casey had gotten out of The Prince. "Just get in the car."

"So, you still do have feelings for me after all?" He smirked. I scowled, raising my fist a little higher for him to see.

Casey rolled her eyes. "Bye Truman." She turned to walk away and I followed in suit, turning back to shoot Truman a menacing glare.

"I'm just kidding!" he yelled, running over to the car and opening the door and jumping inside. "I promise I won't hit on you again!"

Casey shot a reassuring grin my way and we both got in the car. "Good." she said. "Because we don't have a problem throwing you out the window if you try to flirt with me again."

"Scout's honor." Truman put on his seatbelt and we sped away once again.

Nothing was said until we got to the gas station, happily depositing our unwanted cargo.

"Thanks." Truman mumbled as he stepped out of the car. I noticed him eyeing up a brunette that was filling up her car. I shook my head. _Some people._

"Glad I could teach you a lesson." I said. "I'd be happy to do it again, but hopefully we won't have to go through that again. In fact, we better not _ever_ have to go through that again, got it?"

Truman nodded solemnly and we were on our way again.

The silence was awkward and long as we made our way to the college campus, so I decided to say something. "So, um. I called and explained everything to the dean, considering we weren't there at the orientation. And I got you a dorm room too, just so they, you know, didn't run out by the time we got there."

I saw her smile out of the corner of my eye. "Derek, how did you-"

"You know, me and my sweet talk. It comes in handy quite often." I shot her a grin. I heard her laugh.

"You are something else, you know that?" she asked. "Thank you." she added. "For everything." Her hand came to rest on my arm again. I was instantly warm.

"Don't let anyone else know I did anything nice for you!" I warned her. "…And you're welcome." I took one of my hands of the steering wheel and grabbed her hand in my own without thinking. Warmness radiated throughout my whole body. _But it was all my pleasure._

**Next chapter comin at ya- soon! I promise. (when have I ever lied about Dasey?! lol)**


	4. Much Better

_**AN: Casey, Derek, then Casey again. Sorry, I think I'm bad at writing Derek, so I tend to write more from Casey's POV. Please enjoy the last chapter!!!!!!!!**_

Derek was holding my hand. It was so abrupt but so wonderful. I felt butterflies in my stomach, and I seemed to shiver a little, a strange feeling welling up inside of me.

"Are you cold?" Derek asked, stealing a glance at me.

All I could do was nod a little, and suddenly Derek's hand had untwined with mine, and he was steering the car to the side of the road. And then I heard rustling beside me, and then unexpectedly something warm and heavy was on my shoulders. _His leather jacket._

"Better?" he inquired. I nodded dumbly. All I could think about was the item of clothing resting on my shoulders. I pulled it closer to me, even daring to put my arms in the sleeves, smelling the rich scent of everything Derek. Had he really done what I just thought he did? This was perhaps the most chivalrous thing Derek had ever done for me, let alone any girl.

Then I realized we were still sitting on the side of the road. Derek had not driven off yet. His fingers were drumming on the dashboard, one finger in his mouth aimlessly biting his fingernails.

"Why are you being so nice to me lately?" I asked, finally finding my voice. His hands automatically snapped back to the steering wheel, a grim look on his face.

"Isn't that what _good_ brothers are supposed to do?" He didn't look at me when he said it and I sensed something more in his voice. Was it… resentment?

"_Step_-brother." I corrected automatically. It was just a habit, even though we had already gone over this before. _I didn't want to go through it again._

"**Isn't that what good brothers are supposed to do?" I asked bitterly. Why did I need a reason for being nice to her? Couldn't I just be nice for once?**

"**Step-brother." I heard her say. **_**Did I just hear correctly?**_

**I turned to face her, angrily. "That's not what you said a few nights ago."**

**She looked down at the car floor. "Derek- I…" she trailed off, looking desperately out the window as if she would find an answer there.**

**"You what?" I asked. "You only said that to get me off your back? You only wanted a "feel good family moment" so I would stop pranking you? Or did you say that because you **_**really**_** want to be my sister? It sure never seemed you wanted to be that before!" **

**Tears started to form in her eyes. Man, I felt like a jerk for yelling at her. But I needed her to tell me. I **_**needed **_**to hear her say she loved me as a brother, because I could never get over her otherwise. I needed to hear her say it out loud, plain and simple. I couldn't go on second guessing every move she made to see if she loved me back. **

**There I said it. I loved Casey McDonald. As much as I hated expressing my stupid emotions, she was not like other people. She made every emotion inside of me come out. She made me angry. She made me sad. She made me happier than anyone ever could. I loathed her; I loved her; I wanted everything for her.**

"**Derek, if you love me the way you love Marti, then I'm fine with it." She said, tears now streaming down her face.**

"**I never have and never will love you the way I love Marti!" I yelled, automatically regretful of my words.**

"Derek, if you love me the way you love Marti, then I'm fine with it." I lied through my teeth, not bothering to wipe away my tears. I couldn't think of any other response.

"I never have and never will love you the way I love Marti!" he shouted. I looked at him, shocked and confused.

"What do you me-" I started.

"When you were unconscious, I kept asking myself, what if Marti was the one lying on that hospital bed? How would I feel?" He paused to look at the setting sun, his hands gripping the arm rests on either side of his chair. "I would be scared. Yeah. Scared that my little sister wouldn't make it. Scared that there would be no more bed time stories or Smerek moments. I would need Smarti to survive so I could see her grow up and be happy, no matter what happened to me. But I knew that if she didn't make it, I wouldn't regret anything I did with her. I loved her and I did everything I could to make her happy."

I looked at him, the tears now blinding my sight. When did Derek ever talk about how he was feeling? I wanted to reach out and touch his arm, but I didn't want him to reject my gesture.

"When I looked at you on that hospital bed, lying there, pale and helpless, I was scared." he continued. "But I wasn't just thinking about you. I was thinking about me. Every thought that involved you involved me. What if you died? God, Casey. If you would have died, I don't know what I would have done. All I could think about was how I would regret how much I put you through, how I never told you anything, how I never told you…" His voice faltered and he sighed, staring intently at the ground.

"Derek." I said, touching his arm, and then unbuckling my seatbelt with the other hand. I moved closer to him, placing my hand on his face. He turned his face towards mine, and I could see actual _tears_ in Derek's eyes. And suddenly his lips crashed onto mine and I gasped, tensing up.

After I realized what was going on, I let myself relax and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, deepening the kiss. This is what I wanted for so long. It felt so right. He was warm and sweet and so… not Truman, or Max, or Sam, or even Noel. And then I thought about how this would have never happened if I hadn't have rode with Truman and gotten stuck in the middle of nowhere. I never thought I'd say it, but thank God for Truman. I half giggled against Derek's lips.

He pulled back, looking at me. "What?" he asked, looking rather annoyed that I interrupted our… moment.

"Oh, nothing." I said. "I just never pictured us getting together this way."

"Yeah, it was way too cheesy for me." said Derek, back to his normal self, as if my kiss had electric shocked him or something.

I playfully slapped him on the shoulder. "I hate you." I said, smiling.

"I hate you too." he said, sending me an exaggerated glare.

"Der-ek!" I whined, even more obnoxiously than normal. My response was met with another kiss upon the lips, this one even more forceful and longing. We finally stopped, only for air.

"Much better." Derek said.

THE END

_**AN: Man, I suck at this… I hope you liked it though! I dunno when my next Dasey fanfic will be because I've been working on some other ships, so I'm sorry. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and stuck with me through these two stories. I really, sincerely appreciate you guys sooo much! **_


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